The Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) has called on Bauchi state government to ensure proper training of health workers on proper ways of responding to such emergencies as COVID-19 as well as adequately provide Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) to them.

The call was contained in a press statement issued on the state of the effort to curtail the COVID-19 pandemic in Bauchi state on Monday and signed by CITAD acting Programmes Coordinator Isah Garba Azare.

According to the statement, it was observed that most of the activities of the committee set up on COVID-19 and the government initiatives are centralized in the state capital adding that other critical parts of the state are neglected in some initiatives.

It further stated that this capital-centre mindset of the government can be seen from the fact that out of the three isolations centres in the state only that of ATBU and Bayara are functional. Stressing that, the one at the FMC Azare, is yet to take off as he designated building has not even been handed to the government by the contractors.

“We appreciate the measures taken by state government such as the partial lockdown of the state, banning commercial motorcycles, enforcement of social distance in tricycles and suspension of high crowd congregations of Friday Prayers and Sunday Services. However, there are still challenges especially with the recent development in the growth of suspected cases in the state and the attitude of the citizens towards the preventive measures plus the government strategies in the fight against the pandemic,” it said.

It also stated that, The Hospitals in the state are not fully equipped to meet the challenges of the pandemic which limits the performance of the medical personnel and also expose them to risk.

CITAD recommended that as a matter of urgency there is a need to allow for an independent committee to investigate the frequent death in the affected areas in the state as well as urge NCDC to send an independent panel to carry out its investigation as it did in the case of Kano.